Entwined
by CrimsonNight41
Summary: Orihime Inoue is the most popular girl in school. Ulquiorra Cifer is the emo boy who everyone avoids. After a fated encounter, Orihime can't get him out of her mind. He's mysterious, brooding and dangerous, and has no intentions of letting her get close to him. But as their fates become ever more entwined, they will have to learn to trust each other…or risk losing everything.
1. Chapter 1 - That Day

**A/N: **Well, this is my first Bleach fanfic, so here we go! :D First, let me set things straight. I hate Orihime so much. She's probably my least favorite character in all of Bleach. Including the bad guys. But for some reason, that crazy fangirl in me won't shut up about how precious she is with Ulquiorra, so I couldn't resist writing an Ulquihime fic. :3 Oops. Spoiler alert. Haha anyways, if you dislike useless Orihime as much as I do, this story will hopefully be satisfying to you. As always for me, the first chapter is a little rough, with not much action, but please give it a chance. :) I promise things will get better after this chapter! (I hope. O.o)

* * *

**Chapter One – That Day**

I am seventeen years old, and I am a senior at Karakura High School.

My life is pretty average. I'm actually considered the most popular girl in school, though I'm honestly not sure how that happened; I'm notoriously clumsy and often described as naïve, despite being ranked in the top ten in my class. But I'm friends with just about everyone, so I guess that's why. Well, and I'm sure my…ahem…voluptuous figure earns me points with the male population.

Despite all that, I've never had a boyfriend before. I used to like a boy named Ichigo Kurosaki, the most popular boy in our school, but he never returned my feelings so I eventually got over him. Since then, I've never liked anyone else, nor had any desire to.

Until the day I almost died.

My name is Orihime Inoue, and this is my story.

* * *

The day started out as any other, with my morning classes whizzing by. I scored a 100% on the test we got back for calculus, the highest score in the class. In high spirits by the time lunch rolled around, I happily grabbed my bento and went over to my three best friends: Rukia Kuchiki, Tatsuki Arisawa and Rangiku Matsumoto. People always thought Rukia and Tatsuki were sisters and Rangiku and I were sisters, but the friendsbian relationship we all shared tended to quickly dismiss such thoughts. Or else it led to rumors of lesbian twincest. Either way, we had our male friends, Ichigo Kurosaki, Yasutora Sado (more commonly referred to as Chad), Uryuu Ishida and Renji Abarai to discourage the spread of unwanted rumors.

"What do you have for lunch today, Orihime-chan?" Rangiku sang, coming up behind me and rubbing her cheek against mine as she tried to lift the lid of my lunch.

"Red bean paste yakisoba and cheesy shrimp!" I chirped excitedly.

"Ah! That's my Orihime for you—such a tasty-sounding lunch!" she squealed, releasing me to grab her own bag.

I beamed up at her. "You can have some if you'd like. I packed an extra serving in case!"

"That combination sounds lethal," Tatsuki muttered to Rukia, who nodded in agreement. They both grinned innocently at me as I turned to look at them, putting a hand on my hip.

"I heard that, you two!" I stuck my tongue out at them, and we all laughed and headed up to the roof, our usual lunchtime haunt.

Everyone who knew me knew that I had…exotic tastes. The fact that Rangiku was the only one who could stand my cooking, let alone like it, only added to the sister rumor.

When we reached the roof, we saw that the boys were already waiting for us, seated in a semicircle on the ground. "How did you guys get here so fast?" Rangiku asked incredulously, rubbing the back of her head in confusion.

If there was one girl in the school who was universally acknowledged to be more attractive than me, it was Rangiku. She was stunning, with wavy blonde hair that fell to her waist and pale blue eyes, and a figure even more voluptuous than my own, if that was possible. However, it was also universally acknowledged that she was an incurable airhead and possibly the laziest person in the school. The only reason she had failed her classes last year, and thus had to stay back a grade (putting her in the same grade as me), was because she refused to do her schoolwork. I was tutoring her this year in math and history, so hopefully she would be able to graduate with us. This was, after all, her second time being held back. She had told us outright that if she failed this year she was dropping out of high school.

"We came up here while you guys were busy looking at Orihime's cooking abominations—I mean, her lunch." Renji smirked as he leaned back and bit off a bite of his onigiri.

"Oh good. So you missed the part where we discussed what a loser you are." Tatsuki beamed brightly down at Renji, whacking him on the back so hard that his onigiri came spraying out of his mouth.

"Tatsuki, what the hell!" he cried with a grimace.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't realize you were such a baby that you couldn't handle a little pat on the back."

As the two went into a full blown verbal war, the rest of us sat down and took out our lunches. Rangiku eagerly accepted her portion of my wonderful, artistic cooking. As far as I was concerned, she was the only other one with a refined enough palette to handle my cooking.

Turning my attention to the others, I caught Ichigo leaning a little closer to Rukia as he said something to her that caused her to laugh. Rukia reached up and flicked him lightly on the forehead, and he grabbed her wrist to hold it out behind him. The small, delicate girl practically fell into his lap, both of them laughing.

_They seem to be awfully playful with each other of late,_ I thought to myself as I absentmindedly stuffed some noodles into my mouth. _I wonder what's going on. Ah! What if…what if they're going out?! _I sat up a little straighter, my detective mode lighting up. _Let's see…yes, they do seem awfully comfortable with each other, more so than usual…. And look! he just wiped some rice off of her cheek. Yes, they're definitely flirting. They're looking for any excuse to touch each other. _I nodded to myself, proud of my observation skills.

"—listening to me?" Rangiku whined, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Eh? Oh, sorry Rangiku! I just, uh, was daydreaming a little, I guess." I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment, waving away her concern with my other hand. "What were you saying?"

"Yeesh, what are we going to do with you, Orihime?" she said in amused exasperation. "You're always off in your own little world." Rangiku rubbed my head affectionately.

"Rangiku! You're messing up my hair!" I laughed, swatting her hand away.

She laughed and popped a piece of shrimp into her mouth. "Anyways. As I was saying, have you noticed all the cute boys in our class this year? There are so many!" she said in amazement.

"Oh, I guess I haven't noticed." I cocked my head and tried to remember the new faces that had been in our class since school started a couple weeks ago.

"Oh, Orihime, you really are clueless," Rangiku sighed, shaking her head pityingly.

_Did I just get called clueless…by Rangiku? I'm officially screwed…. _

"Hey! I remember a few of them…."

"Oh? Which ones?" she said with a smirk.

"…."

"That's what I thought. Really, Orihime. Don't tell me you haven't noticed Shuhei, Izuru, Grimmjow…."

Her list went on, but my attention was diverted when I thought I felt someone's gaze on me. Looking around at my friends, I saw with some confusion that none of them were looking at me. _Did I imagine it? _But no, I had definitely felt something. Tilting my head to look behind me, I thought I glimpsed a person standing on the topmost part of the roof, above the door that led to the part we were on. I blinked and looked again, but there was nothing there. Perhaps it had been the shadow of a passing cloud.

"Orihimeeee," Rangiku moaned. "What's got your mind drifting off so much today?"

"Ah, nothing!" I rushed to reassure her. "Hmm, yes, now that you mention it, I do seem to recall Shuhei and Izuru. They are pretty cute." I winked at her, and immediately my distractedness was forgiven as Rangiku launched into a tale of something she'd heard in the girls' bathroom earlier.

"I heard he's in a gang," she said excitedly. "Scandalous, isn't it?"

"Yes! How scary," I gasped. _Who's she talking about…? _"Ah," I said slyly, "what's his last name again?"

"Jaegerjaquez. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. He's such a hottie though, so I wouldn't mind getting to know him a bit better."

I recognized that look in her eyes—it was a look that said all resistance would be futile, because she would inevitably get her way. I hadn't seen one man escape her clutches once she spoke of them with that look in her eyes.

Eventually, the five-minute warning bell sounded, so we all packed up our lunches and headed back into the school. As I was about to slip through the doorway, I glanced up one last time. Again, there was no one there. Maybe it really had just been my imagination.

* * *

As the bell rang to signal the end of school, I sagged in my seat with a sigh. I'd gotten less than a fifty percent on the English test that we'd gotten back at the end of the day—the lowest grade in the class.

_I can't keep this up. I have to raise my grades so that my aunt and uncle don't have to hear of this. I can't have them worrying about me. I can't have them taking me away from here. _But it was the third F I'd gotten in English since the beginning of the school year. _At this rate…._ I sighed again, placing the test in my folder with a glare at the offending red ink stamped onto the page.

"Alright, I'll just have to study harder!" I proclaimed determinedly as I stood and slung my bag over my shoulder.

"Orihime, are you okay?" Rukia asked, coming up behind me.

I turned to look at her and gave her a smile. "Of course! I just have to spend more time looking over the English chapter tonight. Heh heh, I really blew that test." Chuckling in embarrassment, I rubbed the back of my head and pasted a bright smile on my face.

"Are you sure?" she asked in concern, shifting her bag higher on her shoulder. "I know how important it is for you to get good grades…."

"Thanks for your concern, Rukia-san," I said sincerely, resting a hand on her arm. "I'm fine, really."

After one last assessing look, Rukia shrugged and returned my smile. "Alright. If you'd like some help though, I would be happy to go over the grammar with you sometime. I know I'm not the best at it either, but I'm passing."

"Thank you again, Rukia. I'll keep that in mind."

We turned to join our other friends, who were excitedly discussing our plans for the upcoming weekend. We were planning on going to the beach together before the weather turned cold. I couldn't wait for the four days between me and the beach to pass, but I had to focus on studying for English before I could think about having fun.

"You have to bring watermelons to the beach," Rangiku was arguing with Renji. "How else are you supposed to play Whack the Watermelons?"

"I said it'll be better if we don't play that game," Renji insisted. "You know I hate it."

"Ehhh, that's right, you had a traumatic experience in your youth, didn't you?" Rangiku suddenly teased, an evil glint coming into her eyes.

"How did you know about that?" he gasped, turning pale under his black tattoos across his face.

"Ah, sorry Renji, I didn't think you would mind if I told them," Rukia said apologetically, smiling guiltily up at our tall red-headed friend.

"Rukia!" he wailed. "I trusted you!"

Ichigo burst into laughter, slapping Renji on the back in amusement. "Didn't you say it was something about being attacked by the watermelons? And wasn't there something about a shark, too?"

"You little…" Renji gritted out, now as red as his hair. The two started wrestling, shouting insults at each other. "You wouldn't be making fun of me if you'd been the one sent flying by a giant watermelon creature with tentacles!" Renji growled, grabbing Ichigo by his shirt collar.

"Yeah right. That sounds like an octopus to me, dumbass," Ichigo shot back, wrapping his arm around Renji's neck in a headlock.

Rangiku laughed and whipped out her phone to videotape the fight. I chuckled and reached for my own phone, only to notice that it wasn't in the pocket of my uniform jacket. _Where could I have put it?_

I set my bag down on the desk to rummage around for my phone, only to come up empty again. _I could've sworn I had placed it right here, in my pocket. _Confused, I checked the pocket once more. Still nothing.

"I'll be right back," I said to Tatsuki, who was standing next to me as she watched the spectacle unfold.

"Huh? Where are you going?" she asked, giving me a curious look.

"I think my phone fell out of my pocket during lunch. I'm going to go up to the roof to look for it. You guys can go on ahead without me; I'll walk home on my own."

"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned. "Want me to take your bag and drop it off at your house for you?"

"Sure, that would be great, Tatsuki-chan!" I beamed at her, handing over my school bag. "Thanks! See ya tomorrow!"

I hurried off to the roof, worried that a janitor might have gone up there and found it. _Maybe I should check the Lost And Found first. No, I'll look on the roof first, and if it's not there then I'll go to the Lost And Found. _With my plan in place, I climbed the stairs to the roof.

Hurrying over to the area we always ate at, I scanned the ground for any sign of my phone. A glint of something metallic caught my eye, and I looked down to see my phone lying in the shadows of a wooden box. Relieved, I crouched to pick it up.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, pulling back as a streak of pain lanced across my hand. Flipping it over to examine the back of my hand, I saw four red lines streaked across the skin. "It looks like…a cat's scratch," I observed to myself. Suspicious, I got on my knees and leaned down to peer under the crate. In the shadows between the ground and the chunk taken out of the box at the bottom, I saw a pair of glowing golden eyes. "It really is a cat…."

Reaching out to lift the box, I saw a little black paw extend through the gap and latch onto the little string attached to my phone. It started to pull it under the crate just as I lifted it off, revealing a tiny black kitten.

"Oh! You're so cute!" I exclaimed excitedly. The kitten looked up at me in fright, its short black fur poofing up to make it look twice its size. "There's no need to be afraid, little one," I cooed, slowly reaching out to it. It hissed at me, baring sharp little at me as my hand inched closer. "Now now, that's not nice," I scolded. The kitten looked up at me in silence, its ears twitching as if it was listening to me.

Slowly, I grabbed my phone and brought it away from the cat so I could slip it into my pocket. "There. That wasn't so difficult, was it?" I said with a smile.

The kitten mewled plaintively and inched closer to me, looking at my pocket with big, adorable kitten eyes.

"Aww, I'm sorry little guy. Or are you a girl?" I asked, suddenly realizing I knew nothing about it. "And what are you doing up here, anyways? Where's your owner?"

The kitten emitted a pitiful noise again, tugging at my heartstrings. I looked around, but didn't see anyone else around. Perhaps the kitten was abandoned? It certainly looked disheveled enough. Deciding to take it in and give it a home, I scooped the little thing up and rose to my feet, cradling it against my chest.

"Oh, you're definitely a boy kitty," I said with a giggle. He looked up at me reproachfully, and I laughed. "I know! I'll name you Kuro-chan!" The kitten began to purr and closed its eyes in contentment.

I smiled and began to head back to the door that led down into the school. Suddenly, Kuro-chan tensed and yowled, slashing at my arms with his little claws. I cried out, dropping the kitten instinctively. He landed on his feet and immediately raced off towards the edge of the roof. "Oh no, Kuro-chan, come back!" I called, fear gripping my heart as I watched him draw closer to the edge. Running after him, I watched as he jumped up onto the little ledge that ran around the edge.

I raced up to the ledge, coming to a halt as I realized he wasn't going to jump. I'd never heard of a suicidal cat, but one could never be too careful. "Are you okay? What's the matter, Kuro-chan?" Seeing that he was peering down at something on the ground, I leaned over the ledge to see what he was looking at. All I could see was other students leaving the building, nothing suspicious. "Come on, little guy. You'll be alright. Let's go take a look at what's bothering you. From the ground, not the roof," I said with a laugh. "Besides, I'll keep you safe. Let's go, okay?"

Kuro-chan finally seemed to relax a little. Scooping him up into my arms again, I turned to make my way back into the school. However, as I took the first step, my foot hit a broken bottle, the jagged edges raking against my ankle. I gasped in pain, automatically backing up. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that the ledge was right behind me. My heel hit the wall, throwing me off balance. Gasping in shock and horror, I realized I was falling backwards. The backs of my legs scraped against the concrete as I tumbled from the roof, my arms automatically tightening around the kitten protectively.

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed in terror as I plummeted through the air, my eyes closing instinctively. _This is it. This is the end. I'm so sorry, everyone. I love you all. _

I never hit the ground. I felt the wind rushing past my body, heard my blood roaring in my ears, until it all abruptly stopped. After a moment, I became aware of the shrieks of the other students as they rushed towards me to see if I was okay. The little kitten was squirming in my arms, and I wasn't dead.

And then I realized that I was cradled in someone's arms. Opening my eyes, I looked up into the face of my savior…

…and was blocked by the raging ball of black fur that shot out of my arms to attack him.

* * *

**A/N: **Well well, who do you think her savior is? ;D Please leave a review to let me know what you think so far! Suggestions are also appreciated. And don't forget to Favorite/Follow if you enjoyed this chapter or think it's promising! :D

Also, I realize she was slightly pathetic in this chapter, but I promise she gets better. :) By no means will she be the main star of everything, in the way that Ichigo always manages to power up and defeat everyone, but she'll at least be useful. I suppose that's the most anyone can ask of her. *eye roll*


	2. Chapter 2 - Him

**A/N: **Here's the second chapter! :D I'm pretty excited about this story, so it's kind of unfortunate that I got so little feedback on the last chapter. I would really appreciate it if more people left reviews. :) So I would like to especially thank the two people who did review, **Hylla **and **KizzoftheDead**. :3 Thank you to **InvaderInvader, mimi200 **and **xxXkmiXxx **for favoriting/following! :D You guys gave me the extra push to get this chapter out! :) So, without further ado, please enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Two – Him **

"Kuro-chan! No!" I cried, snatching the kitten back into my arms. He continued to struggle and squirm, but I held him tightly so he couldn't escape this time. Turning my attention back to my savior, I felt my heart stop for a moment. "Oh," I breathed as my eyes widened.

I was staring up into the face of the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. His deep turquoise eyes—framed by thick black lashes that any girl would envy—stared into mine with an unreadable expression. He had flawless porcelain skin and perfect features, haloed by glossy black hair that fell messily across his face and neck. His upper lip bore black lipstick, and two tattoos the same color as his eyes ran down his cheeks like tears from the bottom of his eyes. His arms were strong around me, enveloping me in a feeling of security. And yet…he gave off an aura of danger that made goosebumps rise along my skin.

_Who is he? I've never seen him before. I would have remembered someone as unique as him. And…what is this feeling? It's hard to breathe, but somehow it's not my lungs that are hurting. My heart…it's almost painful to look at him. Who is he? _

"Inoue-san!"

"Orihime!"

"Are you okay?"

All the voices suddenly bombarded me, breaking the spell. I looked around at all the people rushing to gather around me, asking if I was okay. "Uh—Mm. I'm okay. Thanks for your concern."

I turned my head to look back at the boy who was holding me. A gasp escaped me as I noticed for the first time the thin red lines slashing across his right cheek from where Kuro-chan had attacked him. As if sensing my gaze, he set my legs back on the ground and used his free hand to reach up and touch the scratches.

"You're hurt! I'm so sorry, I guess he doesn't like strangers. Do you want me to go to the nurse and get you a bandage?" I took a few steps towards the clinic and immediately began to fall. Apparently I was more shaken up than I'd thought, because my legs were having a hard time supporting me.

The boy reached out and caught me around the waist with one arm, steadying me again. "Worry about yourself," he said in a deep, melodic voice that made my legs weak for a different reason. "You can't even walk properly, and would be dead right now if I hadn't caught you."

I blushed at the embarrassing reminder. "Thank you for catching me," I murmured, glancing up at him sidelong through my lashes. "I'm Orihime Inoue. What's your name?"

He hesitated for a moment, not looking at me. Then, at last, he looked down at me from the corner of his eye and said, "Ulquiorra Cifer. Try not to fall off any more buildings again." And with that, he walked off, hands in pockets, and melted into the crowd.

* * *

"I like…to go to shopping," I stammered out in my choppy, broken English. "What…you like…to doing?" I sighed and closed my textbook, rubbing my temples to try to alleviate the headache. _Ugh, why is English so hard? I can't make sense of it at all. _Frustrated, I shoved the textbook off my desk and kicked it across the room.

Kuro-chan looked up from the corner he was napping in, giving me a disdainful look.

"What, think you could do any better at it?" I demanded, standing up and glaring over at him with my fists on my hips.

The black kitten licked his paw twice and then buried his head in his paws and curled his tail around his face, going back to sleep.

"Ungrateful little wretch," I muttered. After a moment of silence, I sighed and rubbed my eyes. It was already ten o'clock, and I still had to prepare my lunch for the next day. At least I'd gotten my other homework out of the way first. Sighing again, I trudged off to pack my lunch and refill the little bowl with kitten food, newly purchased on my way home from school.

As I made my way through the small house toward my bedroom, I slowed and then came to a stop by the shrine to my older brother. I stared down at it in silence for a moment before kneeling in front of his picture. "Sora…I miss you," I murmured. "It's been a while since I last spoke with you like this. I'm sorry. But I'm doing really well in school this year—well, except in English—and I have fun plans for the weekend with my friends!" I paused for a moment, playing with the hem of my skirt. I was still in my school uniform—minus my stockings, which had been torn up along the back from when I'd fallen over the edge of the roof—reminding me of the incident from earlier that day. "I met someone today," I said quietly then, not meeting the eyes of my brother in the picture. "He saved me when I fell off the school's roof today. I've never seen him before, but he feels somehow…familiar. Like I _do_ know him. Is that weird?" I chuckled ruefully. "Ulquiorra Cifer…I want to know more about him."

* * *

"Orihime!"

I looked up in a panic as Rangiku came sprinting into the classroom, followed closely by Rukia and Tatsuki. "Ah, good mor—"

"Why didn't you tell us!" Rangiku interrupted, screeching to a halt in front of me and planting her hands on my desk. "We had to hear about it this morning from the gossip mill!" She looked about ready to breathe fire, she was so stoked.

"Um. Sorry…what are you talking about?" I asked with a nervous chuckle, shrinking back in my chair as far as I could go.

"What else could we be talking about?!" Tatsuki demanded, coming up beside Rangiku and leaning over to get up in my face. "We heard you fell off the fucking roof yesterday!"

"Oh. About that…."

"Were you even going to tell us, Orihime?" Rangiku inquired indignantly.

"I was, but I guess it slipped my mind—"

"Falling off the roof does not simply slip one's mind!" Tatsuki insisted.

"Er…right. Sorry—"

"Don't 'sorry' me!" they both roared at the same time. I stared up at them in terror, sweating and unsure how to proceed. I'd never seen them so fired up before, except when Tatsuki had found out that I was being bullied in middle school.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Rukia cut in before I could think of what to say. "But enough of that, tell us details! I heard you were caught by a boy." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and I stared up at her with my mouth agape. I was completely at a loss for words. _Rukia…you're terrifying when you talk about boys. That's Rangiku's job. What happened to everyone? _

"Orihimeeee!" a new voice suddenly called out. Chizuru, the school's resident lesbian, came pushing through the others and flung her arms around me. "I was so worried about you! I'm so happy to see that you're okay!" she gushed, using the opportunity to fondle my breasts.

I pushed her hands away just as Tatsuki kicked her legs out from under her and propelled her to the ground with a hand to the face. "Get your filthy hands off of her, you pervert!" Tatsuki growled.

I sighed internally, knowing it would be useless to tell my oldest friend to be more careful. And really, how many times had I wanted to kick Chizuru's butt, myself?

"Orihime!" another familiar voice called. Ichigo and the rest of our male friends rushed up, crowding around my desk as well. "Are you okay? I heard what happened. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you."

"It's fine, Ichigo, guys. I'm okay. Sorry to have made you all worry," I said guiltily. Clearly I hadn't realized how much turmoil my carelessness had caused my friends. "I'll be more careful next time!"

"Class, the bell has rung!" the teacher barked. "Everyone, please be seated."

Reluctantly, my friends pulled back and went to their desks. "You'd better tell us everything at lunch," Rukia whispered in my ear as she passed me.

I sat stunned in my chair, wondering how I would relay the details without making them suspect me of…having a crush on Ulquiorra. Which I absolutely didn't. I was merely…curious. Yes, I was curious. After all, it was perfectly natural for a girl to be curious about the person who saved her life. Of course. Perfectly natural.

"Since you're all particularly lively today, I think it would be good to have a pop quiz this morning. Everyone, clear your desks."

A chorus of groans went up around the classroom as books thudded on the ground. "Come on, we just had a quiz yesterday," Ichigo protested.

"And judging by your score, Mr. Kurosaki, this quiz is much needed."

Renji snickered, followed by a thump that I assumed was Ichigo smacking him upside the head. I smiled sympathetically, making a mental note to offer to help Ichigo study before the next test.

As the teacher handed out the test, I tried to focus on the problems. It was math, something I was good at. But for some reason, I couldn't keep my mind focused on the problems. My thoughts kept straying to a pair of mysterious turquoise eyes and strong arms holding me close. The most intriguing part of him was how he was able to elicit such different feelings in me, from just the few minutes I'd been around him. How was it possible for me to be attracted to someone I thought was dangerous? How could I feel familiar with a complete stranger?

_Gahhh, focus on the test, Orihime! You can daydream all you like later. _Chastised by my own self, I put all my efforts into finishing the test in the allotted time.

* * *

"So? Who was he?" Rangiku prompted as we all sat in a circle on the roof during lunch. Everyone had apparently forgiven me for neglecting to tell them, as they were now bombarding me with questions about my mysterious savior.

"I've never seen him before," I said thoughtfully, taking a bite of my lunch.

"Was he hot?"

"Please, control the estrogen," Ichigo said in a bored voice. Renji looked like he agreed with him, and Chad was silently eating his lunch, as always. Only Uryuu looked interested out of the boys. Not for the first time, I wondered if he was gay.

"I suppose," I murmured, ignoring Ichigo's remark. The others seemed to be following suit, because they gushed and leaned in for more details.

"Was he tall?" Rangiku demanded, stealing a bite of my food.

"What did he say to you?" Tatsuki asked intensely.

"Was he graceful and refined?" Rukia inquired with stars in her eyes.

"Were his clothes stylish?" Uryuu added.

"Uh," I stammered, beginning to sweat a little, "I guess he was tall. He told me that I would be dead if not for him, then he told me his name, then he told me not to fall off any more buildings. I'm not sure if I would call him graceful…and he was wearing the school uniform."

"He sounds so romantic!" Rangiku squealed, clasping her hands together at her chest.

"He sounds like an asshole," Tatsuki deadpanned.

I made no remark about either of their thoughts, though I had to wonder what went through Rangiku's head at times like this.

The others went back to eating, and I was free to eat my lunch with relatively little interrogation for the rest of the period. I was a little surprised that no one asked for his name, but figured it wouldn't make a difference anyways, since no one here would probably know him. Ulquiorra didn't seem like the kind of guy Rangiku would like, and she was really the only one who would have a chance of knowing him if he was in another class. Come to think of it, I wondered if he was in our grade. He certainly hadn't looked younger than me, but I wondered how I could have never noticed him all these years if he really was in my grade. Perhaps he was a transfer student, then.

I wondered about him all the way until we were back in the classroom. We continued finalizing plans for our upcoming beach trip until the bell rang, sending us all back to our seats.

The afternoon teacher walked into the classroom pushing a cart full of books. Immediately I felt my stomach sink with dread. It was never a good sign when the teacher brought tons of books, especially since it was English time right now.

"Good afternoon, class!" she said brightly in English.

"Good afternoon, teacher," we all replied in the same language.

"I have a treat for you all today," she continued in Japanese. "We are starting a unit on Shakespeare today, and we will be looking at some passages from his play 'Othello' today."

Her announcement was met with more groans as she began passing the books from the cart out. As she set a copy down in front of me, I hesitantly picked it up and cracked it open. I nearly cried as I saw the mass of incomprehensible words marching across the pages. _I should be fine as long as she doesn't call on me to read any of this. _

Once everyone had a book, she returned to the front of the room and began explaining the general plot of the play. "This is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies," she said, a look of admiration crossing her face. "It is a tale of how one man's jealousy spread and consumed many innocent people, ending in friends turning on friends and the deaths of almost everyone involved. It is quite remarkable that one person's schemes for power can drag so many people down…and yet we see this even today." She shook her head sorrowfully and instructed us to open to a page. "Now, let's have someone read this passage, starting from line 165. Hmm…would you please read this, Orihime?"

_Shit, she really does hate me,_ I thought in despair. "Uh…sure." I looked down at the words swimming in front of me. They seemed to be mocking me, and I narrowed my eyes in determination. _I can do this. Even if I don't understand a word I'm reading, surely I'll be able to read it out loud correctly. It is still English, even if it looks complicated. _

I opened my mouth to begin reading, taking a deep, fortifying breath. "'O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green—the green….'" _I take back what I said. This isn't English, this is some demonic language! _

"It's okay, Ms. Inoue," the teacher said kindly. "You don't have to force yourself. I'll call on someone else."

I sank lower into my seat, wishing I could disappear. How embarrassing, to not even be able to make it through an entire sentence. I continued wallowing in self-pity until I was wrenched from my thoughts by a familiar, and entirely unexpected, voice.

"'O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss, who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger: But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o'er who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!'"

I sat frozen in my seat, unable to turn around and look at the back of the classroom, from where the voice had come. _It can't be. He's not in my class…I would have noticed before! _I thought in dismay.

"Thank you, Mr. Cifer. That was beautifully read," the teacher exclaimed proudly, beaming over at none other than Ulquiorra.

_He read that without missing a beat. His accent was perfect. Oh god…what must he think of me after my embarrassing failure? I can't look at him now, or he'll judge me even more…._ Inching lower in my seat, I turned my head to the side a little and risked a peek toward the back of the classroom anyways. Sure enough, sitting in the very back row with a bored expression on his beautiful face, was Ulquiorra. As if feeling my gaze, his eyes flicked over to meet mine. A small smirk appeared on his face, and I quickly spun back to face the front of the classroom, my cheeks as red as a cherry. _Nooooooooooo…!_ I spun into a state of horrified shock and embarrassment, wondering if it was possible to die because of it.

I spent the rest of the period in a horror-induced trance, not aware of anything until the teacher announced that we should take our books home and read the first chapter for the next day. A ten-ton weight seemed to fall on me then, squashing me flat and destroying any chances I had of regaining my dignity.

"Ms. Inoue, would you please stay after class for a moment? I have something I'd like to discuss with you. And Mr. Cifer…would you stay after class as well? Thank you. Class dismissed!" she said a second before the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

Everyone leapt up and headed out the door with their friends, leaving me alone in my pit of despair. I felt a hand on my shoulder then, and looked up to see Rukia gazing at me in concern. "Are you okay, Orihime? You look like you just died and came back from your grave."

"Eh…I'm fine…" I said with a weak smile.

"Ahh! Don't make that face ever again! You look like a zombie!" Renji exclaimed, shrinking back in fear as he came up next to Rukia.

"Ah, sorry…."

"Renji!" Rukia and Ichigo said at the same time, turning their gazes on Renji. "You can't just say something like that!"

"Right! I can't believe you, Renji," Ichigo said in disdain. "It's okay if you think something like that…just don't say it aloud." He smacked the redhead upside the head again, and Renji turned on Ichigo with a murderous look.

"Gahh! Both of you, get out of here!" Rukia barked, pointing towards the door.

"Thanks, Rukia," I said as the boys left, still arguing. "I'm fine. I'll join you in front of the school in a minute. I'm sure this won't take long." Fortified by my amusement with my friends, I smiled reassuringly and stood to collect my things and walk up to the teacher's desk.

Rukia and the other girls gave me a reassuring pat on the back as they headed out of the classroom, promising to wait for me at the school's entrance.

"Ms. Inoue," the teacher sighed once the room was empty save for the three of us.

I was hyper-aware of Ulquiorra's presence as he came up beside me, leaning against the wall by the window with his hands in his pockets. I was already withering in despair again as I thought of how embarrassing it would be to have this talk in front of Ulquiorra. Surely, the teacher was going to berate me for my poor performance in English.

"I'm sure you're aware of your grades in English," she continued, right on target with my predictions.

"Y-yes," I said, looking down and scuffing a shoe across the carpet.

"I don't know what to do to help you. You're one of the best students in your grade—I've seen your test scores in your other classes—so I'm sure you're doing everything you need to be doing. In fact, I'd bet you study harder than most of the kids in this class."

"Thank you," I murmured. Looking shyly up at her, I admitted, "I study for English two hours every day."

"What a dedicated student," she said admirably. "I'm not surprised. And so I've come up with an idea to help you improve your grades in English.

"That is where you come in, Mr. Cifer," she said as she turned to face Ulquiorra. "I wanted to ask you if you would be willing to tutor Ms. Inoue here. You two could work out the details on your own, but I would be willing to give you extra credit for performing this task. What do you think?"

Hardly daring to look at him, I peeked at him from the corner of my eye and immediately wished I hadn't. He was staring right back at me, that same unreadable expression on his face. _Oh my gosh, he's going to say no,_ I thought to myself in humiliation. _Why would anyone want to waste their time with a hopeless case like me? But if he said yes…we would have to spend more time together! _I couldn't decide if the idea appealed to me or made me want to run for my covers as fast as possible. _What am I thinking? I won't have to worry about how to feel, because he's going to refuse—_

"I accept," Ulquiorra said in an expressionless tone, still looking at me.

_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeep! _I shrieked internally, suddenly feeling faint. _He said yes! What am I going to do?!_

"Wonderful!" the teacher exclaimed. "I expect to see a lot of progress soon. Thank you, Mr. Cifer. You should work out the details and get started as soon as possible. I will see you both tomorrow!" She packed her bag and strode from the room with a cheery wave as we stood watching her in silence.

"I'm available after school on Wednesdays and Fridays," he said from behind me, sending an involuntary shiver up my spine.

I turned to face him, instinctively rubbing my arms. His expression was just as shuttered as before, but I thought I detected a flash of curiosity in his green eyes before they resumed their blank stare. "I work every day right after school, but I'm free anytime after six during weekdays."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes, his thick lashes a stark contrast against his ivory skin. "Very well. Let's meet at the library at 6:30 on Wednesdays, starting tomorrow. If that's still not enough to boost your grade…I suppose we'll have to add another day."

I nodded in acceptance of this arrangement. "Alright. Thank you for your willingness to he—"

Without waiting for me to finish, he began striding for the door. I spun and faced his back, gaping in astonishment. Had he just…blown me off?

"Wait!" I called after him. Ignoring me, he walked through the door and continued down the hall. "Of all the stuck-up, rude…" I sputtered to myself, thoroughly irritated. Racing to catch up to him, I called out, "Oye! Wait up!"

He continued walking down the hall, not even bothering to glance back at me over his shoulder.

_The nerve! I'll show him…. _I took off down the hall, my eyes narrowing to slits as I drew closer. Finally within close range of him, I slowed and reached out to grab his shoulder. "Ulquiorra, I am talking to you!"

Before I had a chance to touch him, his hand shot up and grabbed my wrist. My eyes widened as I came to a halt. He still hadn't turned to face me, but he had somehow managed to intercept my hand before I could touch his shoulder. I gaped at his hand in shock, yet again wondering who he was. His grip was firm, but not painful. His fingernails were painted black, and I could feel calluses on his hands where they touched my skin.

After a moment, he turned his head to the side and glanced back at me with a stony expression. "Please do not mistake my intentions, Ms. Inoue. I am not helping you out of a concern for your welfare. I would appreciate it if you would not act too familiar with me." And with that, he released my hand and continued down the hall, his hands in his pockets once more.

"What the hell is your problem?" I shouted after him, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

Without acknowledging my question, he disappeared around the next corner. I was left standing there in dumbfounded silence, unable to understand what had just happened. _Does he hate me? What have I done to him to make him so cold towards me? _Whatever his deal was, I was determined to make him fess up to me properly. So what if he had saved my life? This was just plain rude, and I was going to make him open up to me, no matter what it took.

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**A/N: **Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think in a review! :) Don't forget to favorite and follow, too! See you all next time!


	3. Chapter 3 - Hell Hath No Fury

**A/N: **Hello again! Sorry for the wait. I wish I could think of something witty to say, but...I'm too tired. T.T My brain is done thinking for the day, so I'll just thank a few people and let you get on with the chapter. XD

For leaving such wonderful reviews, I'd like to thank **Hylla, hi1235, Crimson Witch, KizzoftheDead, **and **Yamur**! For favoriting and/or following, I'd like to thank **asyleum, Inoue Haruko, Francesca3234, , The Dust-Boy, **and **fayealicia**. All of your support means a lot to me! :) I hope everyone likes this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review!

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**Chapter Three – Hell Hath No Fury**

"Thank you for coming to Sally's Sweetshop! Please come again next time," I chirped with a bright smile. The bell above the door tinkled as the customer left, a box of freshly-baked cupcakes in hand. I glanced at the clock on the cream-colored wall, dusting my hands off on my frilly white apron. _5:59._ I turned to the other waitress behind the counter, smiling apologetically. "My shift's over now, and I've got to hurry out. I'm so sorry to leave you by yourself, but I can't wait around until Lisa gets here."

"No problem, Orihime-chan. I can hold down the fort. Got a date tonight or something?" the girl asked with a wink.

I cringed slightly. "Uh, no. A tutoring session, actually. My English grades are really sunk."

She patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Good luck, Orihime-chan!"

"Thanks!" I called as I hurried into the back room, my hands already going to my back to untie the apron. I opened my locker and neatly hung the apron on the hook, glancing at the display on my phone. There were three new messages, and my heart jumped in my chest. I quickly opened the first message and saw that it was from Rukia. The second and third were from Rangiku, asking if I wanted to go out tonight. Groaning, I texted back that I had a tutoring session tonight. Stowing my phone in my purse, I stepped out of my shoes and continued taking off my work uniform. It consisted of the white apron and a baby-pink Lolita dress that came down to mid-thigh, with oodles of lace along the hem and the bodice. The collar was a separate piece from the rest of the dress, as were the sleeves. I stripped them all off, hanging them on the hook beside my apron. Dressed in only my underwear now, I peeled off my white stockings and folded them neatly in the locker. Then I donned a pair of faded blue jeans and a plain white blouse with a burgundy cardigan. Stepping back into my brown boots, I grabbed my backpack and purse from my locker. Then I closed it up and headed into the bathroom to wash up before heading out.

It was a pleasant evening, with only a slight chill in the air. At times like this, I enjoyed being able to walk places, since I was too poor to afford a car. Once the weather turned cold, though, I knew it would be a pain unless I could mooch rides off of someone. The twenty-minute walk to the library from the Sweetshop was strangely relaxing. Not many cars traversed the roads along the back way that I took, so everything was peaceful. The closer I got, though, the more nervous I became. I hooked my thumbs beneath my backpack straps and nervously hoisted it higher on my back, wondering if I should run for it now. Only my determination to improve my grades—and maybe a slight desire to see a certain brooding boy again—kept me walking steadily toward the library.

_With any luck, he won't be here yet, _I thought to myself as I pushed open the glass doors and was hit with a blast of warm air. _It'd be nice to have a few minutes to collect myself and accept my imminent embarrassment. _My hopes were soon dashed when I walked further into the library and spotted a familiar figure sitting by himself at a table at the back of the library. He was leaning back in his chair, his attention focused on a thick book he was reading.

Steeling myself for the necessary lesson, I started making my way towards Ulquiorra. As I approached, he gave no sign of acknowledging me, though I knew he knew I was there. It was evident in the slight stiffening of his shoulders and the fleeting furrow between his brows. I sighed to myself, already prepared to receive the cold shoulder the entire evening.

As I stopped in front of the table, he finally set his book down and looked up. "I thought we'd start with the basics, so I checked out a few elementary-level books while I was waiting," he said in a detached tone.

"Good evening to you, too," I muttered as I set my bags on the ground and took a seat across from him. He pushed a couple books across the table toward me as I dug through my backpack to retrieve my notebook and pencil. When I looked up at him to signal that I was ready to begin, he told me to open up to the first page of one of the books in front of me. Doing as instructed, I felt the familiar stupor come over me when I saw the English letters scrawled across the page.

"Read that top paragraph," he ordered, indicating an instructional passage in Japanese.

"'There are three basic parts of speech in the English language," I read. "They are the noun, verb, and adjective. Nouns refer to names of places, people or things. Verbs are used to describe actions. Adjectives are descriptors of nouns, and are not to be confused with adverbs, which qualify verbs.' I already know about the parts of speech," I added in a somewhat insulted tone.

"Then let's see how you do in application. There should be a list of English words on that page," he said with a lazy flick of his hand. "Sort them into categories according to what part of speech they are." Without further pause, he picked up his book again and resumed reading.

I wanted to just snap back at him and storm out of there, but I bit my lip and did as instructed. Taking deep breaths, I admonished myself for being so easily offended. _Keep it cool, Orihime. You need this if you want to score high enough to graduate on the final exam at the end of the year. _

Our table was silent but for the scratching of my pencil across the page and the occasional flip of Ulquiorra's pages. When I finished carefully sorting the words into the three categories, I shoved the paper across the table towards Ulquiorra. "There. How did I do?"

Without setting his book down, he glanced down at my paper and scanned the words. "If this was a test, you would get a sixty percent."

"Sixty percent!" I gasped, leaning forward indignantly. "What did I mix up?"

Ulquiorra sighed and finally placed his book on the table again, giving me his full attention. Unexpectedly, I wished he would go back to his book and spare me the intensity of his gaze. It felt like a physical weight had just descended on me. "You put half the adjectives and verbs in the 'noun' category, and what few words there are under the other two categories are mostly incorrect."

I gaped at him in dismay. After a moment, I snatched my paper back and scowled down at the words, trying to see which were in the wrong spot. A slow flush of embarrassment stole over my face as I realized that I still couldn't spot the mix-ups. _How stupid he must think me._ _Wait, why do I even care what he thinks about me? I don't need his approval. I only need him to help me get a better grade. _Squashing my embarrassment, I slid the paper back towards him and insisted, "Then please tell me what I did wrong."

He spent the next fifteen minutes explaining why 'swim' was a verb and 'wood' was a noun, as well as the rest of the words. Finally, I began to make sense of the rules, though I still felt like bashing my head against the table.

"Write twenty words for each category and explain why they belong there, and then we'll wrap up this lesson," he said as he picked up his book again.

I groaned, but once again did as instructed. By the time I finished thirty minutes later, the end of my pencil was covered in bite marks and my hair was a mess from all the times I'd run my fingers through it and wound it around my fists.

"Finished?" he asked, finally looking back up at me. As his eyes landed on my face, he did a double-take and furrowed his brow slightly. His strange look made me self-conscious, and I tried to smooth down my hair, but to no avail. Without saying anything, he held his hand out for my paper. I handed it over and waited nervously for his response.

"_Ten minutes until the library closes,_" the librarian's voice crackled over the speakers, making me jump. I glanced at my cell phone and was shocked to see that it was already almost eight.

I focused my attention on Ulquiorra once more, praying that all this time spent agonizing over nouns and verbs and adjectives had paid off. After a minute, Ulquiorra looked up at me again with an unreadable expression. "Well?" I asked anxiously, gripping my hands tightly in my lap.

His eyes flashed briefly to my mouth, a vaguely amused quirk to his eyebrows. Realizing that I'd been biting my lips the whole time, I became conscious of how red and swollen my lips were. My embarrassment was quickly forgotten, though, when he announced my results. "You only missed five. Good job."

I was so ecstatic that I momentarily forgot we were in a library and that Ulquiorra was kind of a douche bag. Flying out of my seat, I bounded over to his side of the table and flung my arms around him. "Thank you so much, Ulquiorra!" I cried, tightening my arms a little. "I know I can pass the final exam now, at this rate!" I laughed happily, pulling back slightly to look into his face. His eyes were round with shock, his face frozen in astonishment.

"Quiet down. This is a library," a librarian admonished us as she poked her head around one of the shelves. "And please wrap up quickly; the library will be closing in a few minutes."

As she walked away, I returned to my senses. My own eyes widened in a combination of shock and horror, and I immediately sprang away from Ulquiorra. "I'm so sorry," I gasped, retreating to my side of the table. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I was just so happy about finally doing well, and I've already made so much progress since the beginning of this lesson, and I guess I just—"

"It's fine," he interrupted, getting to his feet. "You still have a long way to go, though, so I hope you won't flip out every time you get a passing score on these little assignments." With a bored look, he slung his bag over his shoulder and tucked his book carefully inside. I caught a brief glance at the title, and was immensely irritated to see that it was in English. "Take those books home with you and begin studying the second lesson in that book. Bring all of them with you next Wednesday."

Leveling a fierce glare at him, I scooped the books up and stuffed them into my backpack. "Pleasant as ever, I see," I grumbled, slinging my own bag onto my back. I slipped my purse strap onto my shoulder and faced him fully. "Good night, Ulquiorra. Thank you for your help, no matter how reluctant it is." With a parting scowl, I strode towards the main doors without looking back. Only, as I passed through the first set of doors, I couldn't resist a peek over my shoulder. Ulquiorra was leaning against a bookshelf with his hands tucked in his pockets, staring broodingly up at the ceiling. He looked upset by something, but that was all I could tell before I stepped out of sight and into the fresh evening air.

The whole walk home, I couldn't get his troubled expression out of my mind.

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_The next day _

Before I even set foot in the school this morning, I knew that it was going to be another rough day. Rangiku had shown up on my doorstep first thing, informing me that she would take me to school so that I wouldn't have to walk. That was fine with me, but then she started helping herself to the breakfast I'd prepared for myself. Even that would have been fine, but then Rukia and Tatsuki showed up at my door and invited themselves in to have some breakfast as well, assuring me that they had already packed a lunch for me that day, so I wouldn't have to worry about it. And then the questions had started. Clearly having learned something from the roof incident, the girls had decided that the only way to get the scoop on my life was to corner me in my own house.

We were currently all crammed into Rangiku's little Civic, the questions still flowing. I sighed and turned my attention to Tatsuki, who had just asked me for the fifth time if Ulquiorra had been nice to me during our tutoring session.

"He was perfectly civil," I reiterated, "except when he got a little annoyed at the end."

"He what?!" Rukia demanded. I blinked at her in shock. "You didn't mention that before, Orihime!"

"I knew there was something she wasn't telling us," Rangiku said triumphantly.

"I thought I had told you guys already," I said weakly, laughing awkwardly at the memory of the moments preceding his coldness. A blush rose unbidden to my cheeks.

Tatsuki snorted. "Well, clearly you were mistaken. Why was he annoyed?" she asked dangerously, narrowing her eyes.

_I knew I shouldn't have told them last night that Ulquiorra was asked to by my tutor, _I thought morosely. _But Rangiku demanded details after I mentioned the tutoring session, so I had to elaborate. I should've known she would instantly tell the others. _"Um…that may have been because I…hugged him." I turned my face away in embarrassment, turning even redder as I heard their excited and incredulous gasps.

"_You did what?!_" they all shrieked at the same time.

I winced. "Please, try not to deafen me in this small enclosure…."

They ignored me, of course, charging full steam ahead. "Why on earth would you do that?" Tatsuki demanded, turning to grab my shoulders so I had to face her.

"I was happy about the progress I'd made," I said defensively. To myself, I muttered, "It's not like I kissed him or anything…."

"So, when should I plan the wedding?" Rangiku teased happily, adjusting her rearview mirror so she could catch my eyes in the reflection.

"Rangiku!" Tatsuki and I exclaimed at the same time.

"Hmm," Rukia hummed, turning to face me from the front passenger seat. "Maybe he likes you."

"How did you jump to that conclusion?" I shot her a strange look, wondering what part of this she wasn't understanding. "He was irritated with me after I touched him. What part of that screams 'attraction' to you?"

"Maybe he's just a tsundere," she suggested with a wink.

I stared at her in dumbfounded silence for a moment. "You've been reading too much manga." I shook my head sadly, patting her shoulder condolingly.

"We'll know for sure if you try talking to him in school today," Rangiku said smartly as we pulled into the school lot. "Maybe you just have to catch him on a good day."

I snorted. "Right," I said, unconvinced.

They let the subject drop as we walked into the school, changing to safer topics. That helped to distract me from thoughts of Ulquiorra, until we walked into the classroom and I spotted him sitting in his seat at the back of the classroom. Once again, he had his book propped on his desk as he leaned back in his seat and read. As the four of us walked to my seat, we all shot furtive glances at Ulquiorra.

Rangiku leaned in to whisper in my ear, "He's not bad, girl. I wonder why I've never noticed him before. You can see his abs through his shirt!"

I cringed as her whisper bordered on a squeal. _Please don't look over here, please don't look over here…._ Of course, as luck would have it, when next I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, he was giving us a shrewd look from over his book. I sighed in annoyance. Now that he'd acknowledged us, I felt the need to go over and say hi. After all, he may be an asshole, but that didn't mean I had to be.

Plucking up my courage, I set my book bag down on my desk and strolled over to Ulquiorra's desk, waving my friends on to their own seats. His eyes narrowed as I approached, and he gave me a slight shake of the head. _Embarrassed to be seen talking to me? Well that's too bad, because you could stand to be knocked off your pedestal a little. _Externally, I smiled brightly down at him. "Good morning, Ulquiorra." _Oh gosh, his abs really are defined through his shirt…. Don't look, Orihime! _

He sighed irritably, not looking up at me. "Good morning, Miss Inoue. Is there something you need?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to come with my friends and me to the beach this weekend." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I blinked in shock and dawning horror. _Where the hell did that come from?! _I internally panicked, wondering what had possessed me to ask such a question.

Ulquiorra was caught just as off guard as I was; he actually looked up at me, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. After a moment, he regained his composure. "Miss Inoue. Please do not make the mistake of thinking we are friends. And one more thing." He leaned closer, setting his closed book on the corner of his desk. Looking straight up into my eyes, he said clearly, "Do not act familiar with me when there are others around."

His words stabbed straight into me, and I just stood there in stunned silence for a long moment as he returned his attention to his book as if nothing had passed between us. My fists clenched at my sides and I ground my teeth in rage. How dare he treat me like I was dirt beneath his shoes? _I will show him, _I thought darkly. _I'll make him wish he'd never messed with me. Orihime the appeaser will be no more; this is war. _

Planting my palms on his desk on either side of his book, I leaned in close so that he was forced to look up at me or risk appearing to be staring at my chest. "Very well, Ulquiorra," I said sweetly. "I understand. I was silly to think we could be friends." I chuckled darkly, and he regarded me with suspicion and—dare I say—concern. Not for my feelings, of course. No, he was probably wondering just how unstable I really was.

_Well, Ulquiorra, they say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. _With a wink, I turned to walk back to my seat just as the teacher walked into the classroom. No doubt Ulquiorra was completely floored by my sudden change in demeanor. But that was all part of my plan.

_The only perfect revenge…will be to make him fall for me…and then reject him so hard he'll never outlive the humiliation. _

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**A/N: **I rather like Orihime's evil plan. ;D This can only mean good things, right? XD We're starting to see a new facet of Orihime now! :O Let me know what you think in a review! :) And of course, don't forget to favorite and follow. :3 Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4 - Invasion of the Mind

**A/N: **I am delighted to be able to bring you another chapter so soon! :D I certainly hope all of you are as delighted to read this chapter as I am to be posting it! XD

Thank you to **Hylla, Guest, hi1235, KizzoftheDead **and **Princess Miele **for leaving such awesome reviews! :D Additional thanks go to **alice Orihara Scarlet, Samiel04, redx2597** and** Tristhiet **for favoriting and/or following! All of you guys are amazing!

I'd also like to draw your attention to the new story cover for this fanfic. It was drawn by yours truly, so I hope you all like it! :3 Don't forget to leave a review on your way out! Thanks!

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**Chapter Four – Invasion of the Mind **

In less than a day, it was already becoming quickly apparent that my anger had gotten the better of me. I was regretting my plan before I even had a chance to start it. "I don't know the first thing about seducing a guy," I muttered crossly to myself as I soaked in the bathtub that night. "And one as difficult as Ulquiorra…what was I thinking?" I sunk lower in the hot water, until only my eyes were above the surface. "Mmf shmmlf bnnm," I exclaimed into the water, creating a flurry of bubbles on the surface. Tilting my face into the air again, I repeated myself in a whisper. "I'm so dumb."

_Don't be silly,_ my internal voice argued. _You're easily one of the most gorgeous girls in school; making him crazy for you will be a cinch. _

"Um, there's just one problem with that though," I pointed out. "This is Ulquiorra we're talking about here. He's not going to like me any more just because I'm pretty and bat my eyelashes at him."

_You also forget that one of your best friends is the most notorious mankiller in the school. _

I wrinkled my nose at the smug reminder. "I haven't forgotten, thank you very much. But what do you think would happen if I told Rangiku about my plans to seduce Ulquiorra?" I paused for a moment as I let the hilarity of the phrase and situation sink in. Then I burst into laughter. "Did I seriously just say that?" I gasped in between fits of giggles. "My plans…to seduce…Ulquiorra! That is…too funny." I wiped a stray tear that had leaked from the corner of my eye, chuckling to myself as I struggled to catch my breath.

_Focus! _my internal voice snapped. _I see what you mean about Rangiku. And there's no way Tatsuki would help you with this harebrained scheme of yours. That leaves…_

"…Rukia," I finished aloud.

* * *

"You _what?!_" Rukia demanded, spraying juice from her mouth as she nearly fell over from the shock.

I leapt back just in time to avoid the worst of it, though my pajamas ended up a little misted. Grimacing, I wiped my face and made a show of cleaning up with a rag from my kitchen.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she apologized, kneeling to help clean the floor. "You just…surprised me."

I chuckled ruefully. "It's fine. I surprised myself, too." After my epiphany in the bath, I'd called Rukia immediately and asked her to come over. Sensing that something important was happening, she'd come right over, informing her parents that she would be spending the night. So here we were, in my dining room, discussing my insane plan.

"So…let me get this straight," Rukia said as she finished cleaning and tossed the cloth in the sink. "You decided that the perfect way to put Ulquiorra in his place…is to seduce him."

I nodded miserably.

"And you've decided to come to me for advice."

I nodded again. "Please, Rukia, you have to help me," I begged, taking her hands in mine.

She laughed nervously. "You do realize that Rangiku would be better suited to give out seduction tips, right?"

"Yes, but then I thought that she wouldn't tailor her advice to fit my personality, so she'd likely recommend giving him a strip tease or something equally embarrassing. Besides that, the whole school would likely know of my plan by the next morning."

"Oh. Valid points." Rukia sat back in a dining chair, her brow furrowed in thought. "Very well," she sighed after a moment, "I will impart of my knowledge to you."

Suddenly nervous at the grave tone of her voice, I leaned a little closer and whispered, "You're not actually a closet whore, are you?"

"Orihime!" she shrieked, swatting at me. We both spiraled into a fit of laughter—the thought of Rukia being a closet whore was just too funny.

"I'm sorry, I had to know," I giggled. "But is there a special someone in your life, Rukia?" I'd meant it in a teasing way, but the subtle blush that spread across her pale cheeks made me reconsider the possibility. "There is!" I gasped, leaning closer again.

"Shhh," she hushed me, looking around as if someone might be listening. "No one else knows yet." My eyes bulged incredulously. "Don't look at me like that," she said defensively. "We've only been seeing each other for a week, and we're just trying things out right now. You know, to see if we…click."

The glazed look in her eyes made my mouth fall open in disbelief. _So that's why she's been acting so strange these past few days…. _"It isn't Ichigo, is it?" I asked suddenly, giving her The Look.

"What? No!" she exclaimed, giving me a strange look. "Why on earth would you think that?"

I laughed at the tone of her voice, nudging her playfully in the ribs with my elbow. "I'm sure Ichigo would be thrilled to know he's so unappealing."

"Oh, hush! You know I didn't mean it like that!" Rukia laughed, swatting my arm away.

"I know. I just couldn't resist. So…if it's not Ichigo, then who is it?"

"Ah…he's one of Ichigo's acquaintances," she mumbled shyly.

That would explain her recent closeness with Ichigo. Well, more close than usual, anyways. "Awww! How did you…seduce him?" I coughed awkwardly at the last part, the word still feeling funny in my mouth.

Her blush deepened, and I wondered how bad it was. "It's actually pretty simple," she began, waving her hand in the air vaguely. "The first rule of flirting that you always want to remember…is to invade his mind."

I blinked at her. "Come again?"

She laughed, flapping her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Basically, that means you have to find a way to make sure you're always on his mind. Even if it's irritation he feels when he thinks of you at first, you've got to make sure you impress yourself thoroughly upon his mind. You need to be all he can think about, and then he'll be forced to confront his feelings."

I gazed at her in awe. "Are you some secret love guru? You read that somewhere, right?"

Rukia rolled her eyes and faced me with a serious expression. "Just trust me. It will work…better than you could ever expect." The last part was almost a whisper.

Seeing the dreamy, faraway look in her eyes, I shook my head incredulously. "You really like him, don't you?" I smiled affectionately at Rukia when she nodded, blushing furiously.

"Our taste in characters is so similar! He agrees that Chappy is cute, and he even praised my artistic ability." She fidgeted in her seat, a small, overflowing smile tugging on her lips. Then, suddenly, her smile was replaced by a frown.

"What's wrong, Rukia?" I asked, placing a concerned hand over hers.

She sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a drag. It's just…I don't think it will work out." Her face fell, an utterly devastated look coming over her.

"Don't say that," I scolded gently. "If you both want it, it will work. Why would you say that?"

"It's just that…he's older and upper class, so he'll probably realize soon enough that he needs someone who can be his partner in every sense of the word. I'm still in high school, plus I have the rest of my university schooling to finish. There's no way he'd want to tie himself down with someone like me."

"Rukia, listen to me." I cupped her cheeks in my hands, forcing her to meet my gaze. "You are the top of our class; you have a bright future ahead of you. You're beautiful, funny, and a great companion. He'd be crazy _not_ to want you. Besides, I'm sure his maturity will let him realize that he shouldn't pass up this opportunity, whereas a man our age wouldn't feel inclined to pursue a serious relationship. If he's even bothering to court you right now, I'd say there's a good chance he wants to be serious with you." Smiling reassuringly, I released her face.

She furtively swiped at a tear, facing me with a quavering smile. "Now who's the love guru?" she teased warmly.

"Well, you know me," I said with a wink. "I've just been in so many relationships with older men." We both laughed at that, and I was glad to see we had both relaxed after sharing our boy problems with each other.

"Thanks for asking me to come over, Orihime." There was a quiet sincerity in Rukia's eyes, and I merely nodded my understanding.

"We'd better get to bed now. Just one more day to get through before the weekend's here!"

"And the beach!" Rukia added, pumping her fist in the air.

Grinning and laughing, we headed off to my bed and drifted off to sleep with our conversation floating in our minds.

_Tomorrow begins the enactment of my plan. I can do this. _

* * *

I took a deep, fortifying breath before walking into the classroom that morning. This was it. There was no more time to waffle over whether to go through with my plan or not; this was game time. Steeling myself for the imminent encounter, I stepped through the door with my head held high. I had dressed especially nicely for the occasion—accessorizing my slate grey uniform with a pair of sexy black boots and matching onyx earrings, as well as a cute, curly side ponytail on the top of my head—in an effort to prepare myself for this moment. As I turned to face the back of the classroom, I was relieved to see that Ulquiorra was already at his desk. Remembering what Rukia had said—that even if I annoyed him, I had already succeeded in my plan—I summoned my confidence and strode over to his desk.

"Did I not already tell you to leave me alone?" Ulquiorra asked in a monotone without bothering to look up at me.

Aaand that was my cue. "You did," I said smugly, clasping my hands at my back. "I'm just choosing to ignore what you said."

To my slight irritation, he still didn't look up from his book. In fact, he turned the page as if to prove that he was paying it more attention than me. "If you know what's best for you, you will walk right over to your desk and let me continue pretending you don't exist." Despite the harsh words, his tone was still emotionless.

My eyes narrowed, and I clenched my fists in anger and a little hurt. "If this is how you treat anyone who approaches you, it's no wonder you don't have any friends." My tone was a little sharper than I'd intended, but I couldn't stop myself now. "I don't even know why I'm wasting my time trying to be one."

To my immense satisfaction, he actually looked up. It was a short-lived victory as he promptly deadpanned, "I don't need any friends."

I was slightly taken aback. Did he honestly think he meant that, or was he just trying to scare me off? Either way, I was no longer in the mood to play nicies with him. "Fine. Be a brooding jerk." And with that, I reached out and grabbed the book from his surprised grasp, snapped it shut and tossed it back onto his desk without the bookmark. Then I turned and stomped away to my desk, internally fuming.

_What the hell is wrong with that guy? Is he like this with everyone, or is it just me he hates? Whatever. I'm just going to have to take a different approach on this._

The worst part about this whole thing was that it was obvious my plan wasn't working. The guy had openly told me that he pretended I didn't exist! That clearly meant he wasn't thinking about me. But in the process of going about my plan, I was constantly thinking about him. That put us on vastly uneven footing. If I could just come up with a way to guarantee that he had to pay attention to me….

_That's it! _I thought to myself excitedly. _If I can pull it off, it'll be perfect! Now I just need someone to help me set it up…._

* * *

"You want me to what?" Rukia asked, completely dumbfounded. We were hanging out in the bathroom, but we were currently supposed to be in history class. However, we knew that Mr. Kyoraku didn't care or take attendance, so I'd taken the opportunity to pull Rukia out for a quick powwow.

"Don't question me, Rukia!" I insisted, planting my fists on my hips. "Just accept it and help me out. Please?"

She sighed in exasperation, shifting her weight to one leg while she cocked her hip. "Orihime, have you lost your mind? That's entirely too dangerous! Besides, we have no guarantee that it would work."

"That's why I need your help—"

"What's too dangerous?"

Rukia and I both jerked our heads towards the bathroom door at the sound of the familiar voice. Standing there in the doorway was none other than Rangiku Matsumoto, raising an elegant eyebrow at us in question.

_Busted…._ "Ah, Rangiku," I said weakly, flashing a smile. "Why don't you come in? I'll explain to you as soon as you're away from the door."

"No need to worry; I came prepared." With a triumphant smirk, she placed an Out of Order sign on the outside of the door before letting it slide shut.

"You're a genius," I said with a genuine grin.

"Naturally." She tossed her strawberry blonde curls over her shoulder and flounced in, hopping up onto the sink and swinging her legs over the edge. "Now, spill," she ordered.

Rukia and I exchanged a glance before I finally settled back against the wall and began explaining. "Well, you know how Ulquiorra is my English tutor…and he's been nothing but a prick to me since the first moment we met…."

Rangiku nodded to show that she was on the same page so far. "Go on."

I drew a deep breath before letting it all out in a rush. "Well, I decided that the best way to get revenge would be to make him fall for me and then reject him."

We were all silent for a long moment before Rangiku finally broke the silence. She burst out into a loud, merry laugh that was actually pretty scary. At last, she caught her breath enough to speak. "Orihime, I am so proud of you. You're finally starting to think like a woman!" She clapped her hands joyfully and hopped off the counter to embrace me. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Returning her hug, I grinned helplessly at Rukia over her shoulder. "You have to promise not to tell anyone else, Rangiku. I mean it."

She pulled back and gave me a wounded look. "Aww, Orihime, you think I would ever do something like rat you out?" One look at both of our faces, and she chuckled guiltily. "Well, I suppose your concern might be slightly justified…but I swear I never act out of spite!"

I sighed and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, no one thinks you do it on purpose; it's just how you are."

"Somehow, that makes me sound even worse."

"So will you help? And will you keep silent about this?" Rukia asked practically, giving Rangiku an amused look.

The strawberry blonde scoffed. "Of course I'm in! Seduction and revenge are my fortes." With a wink, she reclaimed her perch on the bathroom counter. "So, what's this dangerous plan of yours, Orihime?"

"It's not that dangerous," I grumbled, looking down at the floor. "I just thought that maybe the best way to get him to notice me would be to stage a situation where I'm in danger, so he has to save me again."

This time when Rangiku raised her eyebrow, I knew it wasn't preceding anything good. "Really? The old damsel in distress? You're joking. I will not let you do something as transparent and embarrassing as that on my watch!"

"Fine," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Then what would you recommend?"

"Honey, you haven't even learned the basics yet. And with a situation as…delicate as this one, you need to learn from a master." She pointed both of her thumbs at her chest to illustrate her self-proclaimed status as a seduction master. On second thought, it probably wasn't just self-proclaimed.

"Alright," I consented, hanging my head. _I can't believe I'm going along with this…. _"But if I agree to learn from you, I expect results."

"Oh, trust me—if it's results you want, it's results you'll get. Now, listen closely. I'm going to teach you how to be a bona fide heartbreaker. Rule number one: You've got to have fun."

I shot her a questioning glance. "Fun?" I repeated, to make sure I'd heard her correctly.

"Fun," she confirmed. "But when you've succeeded…you've got to be the first to run. No sticking around—you've gotta drop him like he's hot!"

My brow furrowed as I nodded in understanding. "Okay. I can do that. That's my whole goal, anyways."

"Then let me continue. Rule number two: Don't get attached to somebody you could lose."

"But you could lose anyone," I protested, momentarily forgetting that we were talking about one person in particular.

"Orihime. This is how to be a heartbreaker," she reminded me sternly. "Boys like a little danger. We'll get him falling for you in no time, little miss Player. Now, let me continue." I nodded my consent. "Rule number three: Wear your heart on your cheek, but never on your sleeve. Unless you wanna taste defeat."

"What does that even mean?" Rukia interjected.

Rangiku pursed her lips as she looked over at the waifish girl. "Let your emotions be seen visibly…just not your true emotions. Got it?"

Rukia and I both nodded, completely mystified at the person Rangiku had transformed into.

"Rule number four: Gotta be looking pure. You can kiss him goodnight, but leave him wanting more." Before I could clarify that there would be no kissing, she added, "That's a metaphor. What I really mean is you can give him a little seductive action, but don't ever satisfy his cravings too soon."

_I still think she's missing the point, _I thought to myself. _I certainly won't have to worry about not satisfying his "cravings"—he won't have any!_

"Now, there's one last thing you must remember, Orihime—boys like the look of danger. Be feisty, be sassy! He'll eat it up. Just remember to use moderation and know when to back off."

"Uh…okay." Whatever that meant.

"I just know you'll do well," she preened like a proud mother. "Now that I've set you on the right path, you can spread your wings and fly!"

"Uh-huh. I'll definitely take your advice to heart, Rangiku. Thank you so much!" I wasn't so sure about everything she'd suggested, but there were definitely parts that made sense to at least try. If they didn't work…well, it's not like I'd be erasing any progress.

"Anytime," she replied happily, turning to check her makeup in the mirror. After she ascertained that everything was in order, she slid off the counter and sashayed toward the door. "Be sure to keep me posted, Orihime," she said flirtatiously with a wink. "I'm just a text or a phone call away if you need any more help."

I smiled at her as she slipped from the bathroom, taking the sign that was still on the door with her. Turning to Rukia, I shrugged my shoulders with a helpless grin and followed Rangiku into the hall. Rukia followed, and together we made our way back to the classroom for the remaining fifteen minutes of class.

_Remember the rules, Orihime, _I chanted in my mind. _Gotta have fun, don't get attached to someone you could lose, wear your heart on your cheek but not your sleeve, and look pure. Have fun, don't get attached, heart on cheek, look pure. _Taking a deep breath, I decided that I would just have to treat this all like a game. As long as I didn't really become emotionally invested, I wouldn't be able to get hurt. That way, I could be as fun and flirty as I needed. From now on, no matter what Ulquiorra said or did to chase me away, I would refuse to give in. Starting with a little visit to his desk after class.

* * *

**A/N: **What do ya think of Rangiku's advice, hmm? XD Quite something. I wish I could take credit for that, but it's from a song called _How To Be A Heartbreaker _by Marina and the Diamonds. XD Seriously, go check it out. It fits this story perfectly!

The next chapter will definitely be more appealing, I think. ;) I'll give you one word as a clue: Beach. ;D Now, please leave a review! Thanks for reading, and I hope to update again soon!


	5. Chapter 5 - What Happens at the Beach

**A/N: **Well, here I am again, with another update! I timed it for a very special day...any guesses? XD That's right, it's my birthday! :D Yayyy! My one-year anniversary of being a member is coming up in two days, as well, so I thought it especially appropriate. :3

Thank you so much to the people who reviewed last time: ** 2 **and **metsfan101**. You guys made me so happy! Thank you to **Naomi Shihoin, fylith,** **99vampiress **and **blossom13 **for favoriting and/or following!

Now, one final remark before I let you get on to this story... I just have to say that the new cover for my story was drawn and colored by yours truly, so let me know if you like it, please? *puppy dog eyes* Haha I hope everyone likes this chapter! I think it's been my favorite to write so far! If you feel like sharing some love, I'd appreciate a review on your way out. :3 It would be the greatest birthday present ever. :')

* * *

**Chapter Five – What Happens at the Beach Stays at the Beach**

"Didn't you just say you were content to let me be friendless in peace?" Ulquiorra asked, a slight pleading note in his voice. The final bell had just rung, and I was currently sitting on Ulquiorra's desk with my legs crossed, his book clutched firmly in my arms.

"I never swore to it," I pointed out. "Besides, you should realize by now that there's nothing you can do to chase me away for good. I'm afraid you're stuck with me." I smiled charmingly down at him, feeling Rangiku's watchful gaze on me through the window on the wall separating the classroom from the hallway. Just knowing she was near was enough to help me channel my inner flirt.

His response was unexpected. I'd been expecting him to get irritated or insist I leave him alone, maybe just ignore me and leave with some biting remark. But not this. He stared up into my eyes for an indefinite moment, unable to respond. In that moment, I saw all of his feelings displayed on his face. Disbelief. Frustration. Hope. But especially fear. His eyes were swimming with it for that one unbridled moment.

_What are you so afraid of? _Seeing him so vulnerable pulled at something within me. I didn't know what it was, and I didn't know what was causing this fear I'd seen reflected in his eyes. But now I knew I had to see this through; I couldn't let this rare glimpse into his soul be wasted.

"Please leave," he finally managed to grit out, unable to meet my gaze.

I sighed. "Alright. I'll leave you alone for now. But we're not through, Ulquiorra." With a look that was both a promise and a threat, I hopped off his desk and set his book down in the spot I'd just occupied. Feeling strangely at peace, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the door.

To my surprise, I saw that there was another person standing there in the doorway. I could've sworn there was no one else left in the classroom…how had I not noticed the man leaning casually against the frame with his arms crossed over his muscular chest as he stared right at me? Unnerved, I made my way toward him, pretending I wasn't as flustered as I was.

Electric blue eyes tracked my every move as I drew closer, and his perfectly-styled hair was a bold shade of blue I'd never seen before on a person.

Immediately, I recognized him as one of my fellow classmates. He hadn't been in school for the past few days, but I definitely remembered him from the first week of school. What was his name again…? _Ah yes, I remember now. Rangiku mentioned him once. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. She told me she'd heard that he's in a gang…. _I dismissed the thoughts before they could give me away. The eerily attentive look in his eyes made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to smile brightly up at him. "Excuse me," I said apologetically, indicating my desire to get past him.

For a moment, all he did was stare at me. Then a slow, predatory smile crept across his face. "Of course, Princess." Sweeping an arm out in an ushering gesture, he stepped aside and permitted me passage.

I chose to ignore his unsettling nickname as I nodded politely at him and strode through the door without a backwards glance. _Who exactly is he? _I thought to myself anxiously. _What was that all about? _

I hurried over to Rangiku, pasting a triumphant smile on my face. "Looks like I'm already making progress," I said softly with a wink.

She cast a gloating grin at me, taking me by the arm to escort me down the hallway. "I told you it would work."

I giggled and chatted with Rangiku as we passed the windows and the door to the classroom. Surreptitiously stealing a glance inside, I felt my heart skip a beat as I saw Grimmjow standing behind Ulquiorra. He leaned down and whispered something in Ulquiorra's ear, baring his teeth in a vicious smile. His canines seemed abnormally long, but I couldn't get a good look at them because he kept talking. Just before Rangiku and I stepped out of view, I saw Ulquiorra's eyes flick up to mine. His expression was the coldest I'd ever seen it, and yet…I somehow knew that it was masking fear and apprehension. _For what? _I wondered worriedly. In that moment, I had the distinct feeling that if I discovered the source of his anxiety, I would discover the key to cracking his shell and understanding Ulquiorra Cifer.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear. I sat up in bed and stretched, a contented yawn splitting my face. "Ahhh," I sighed, looking around in excitement. "What a perfect day to spend at the beach with my friends!"

Unable to contain my excitement, I hopped out of bed and began getting dressed. About midway through, I got a call from a frantic Rangiku.

"Orihime!" she cried, sounding desperate. "I just realized that I forgot to get the watermelons! I'm still making the lunches for everyone, so would you mind running out to the market to grab a few? I'll pay you back at the beach."

"Of course," I said with an amused smile. What would an outing with my friends be like without someone forgetting something? "I'm already almost ready to go, so I'll get them right away!"

"Thank you so much," she gushed, all traces of distress gone. "I'm terribly sorry to impose on you like this, but I really appreciate your help."

I rolled my eyes affectionately. "You're a terrible actress, you know," I teased her, unable to hold back a grin.

She gasped indignantly. "You think I'm acting? You wound me, Orhime-chan," she said morosely.

I laughed. "That's okay. I'm sure you'll feel better as soon as we get to the beach."

She cheered and returned to her usual bubbly self. Thanking me again, she hung up the phone. I chuckled to myself and finished dressing. "That Rangiku," I muttered with a smile. "Looks like it's a good thing I woke up early. Off to the market it is, then." Grabbing my beach bag, I headed out towards the market.

By the time I arrived at the beach, the sun was already heating the air up and casting its sparkling rays on the waves. I climbed out of Ichigo's car and thanked him once again for the ride. He smiled in response and grabbed the beach umbrellas from the trunk of his car as I grabbed my beach bag and the large bag of watermelons. It probably weighed over half my body weight, and I was terrified the bag would rip and send them all rolling across the sand. There were eight total—one for each of us.

I spotted Rukia and Chad a short way down the beach, and started towards them with a bright smile on my face. "Rukia! Chad!" I called happily, enjoying the feel of the warm sand sifting through my toes as I walked. The beach was pretty crowded today, since everyone wanted to get in on the remaining warm days of the year.

Rukia and Chad looked up and waved to me and Ichigo, who was following with the umbrellas and chairs. "Orihime!" Rukia jumped up and jogged toward me, a smile lighting her face. As she drew closer, she noticed the large sack of melons in my hand. Her smile immediately changed into a scowl. Rounding on Ichigo, she propped her hands on her hips and barked, "You let Orihime carry this seventy-pound bag all by herself? What are you thinking, Ichigo Kurosaki?!"

"Ah!" he gasped, as if just realizing that I was carrying the melons. "Orihime, I'm so sorry! Here, allow me to take those…."

"I'm fine," I interjected quickly, stepping back before he could attempt to claim the bag. "I'm stronger than I look. Thanks to Tatsuki's training, I'm strong enough to carry this with ease!" I laughed and resumed my course towards Rukia and Chad's makeshift campsite. I was actually getting a little out of breath, but, as I'd said, I was strong enough to carry the bag without mishap. I sighed in relief when I finally dropped the bag into the sand beside Rukia's blanket. It had carved a deep groove into the palm of my hand, and I grimaced at the sight of it. Looking around, I saw that we were the only four here so far. "Where are the others?"

"Ishida went off to find some iced drinks, Tatsuki just went to the bathroom, and Renji is in the souvenir shop. Rangiku hasn't arrived yet."

I shared an exasperated look with Rukia. Leave it to Rangiku to organize the whole thing and still be late. As if my thoughts had summoned her, Rangiku's bubbly voice carried over to us from the parking lot. "Heyyy~, I'm sorry I'm late! I've got the lunches and brought some volleyballs with me!" She hurried over to us, pulling a cooler along behind her, along with a duffle bag. "Ready to party everyone? Hey, where are the others?"

"Right here," Tatsuki said wryly from behind Rangiku. A moment later, Renji appeared, sporting a new white T-shirt.

Rangiku turned to look at the two, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, hey there, Tatsuki!" she exclaimed. "Hey, Renji. Where's Uryuu?"

"He should be coming back from the ice shack in any moment…ah, there he is," Rukia said. On cue, Ishida came into view, bearing a tray of chilled lemonade.

"Great! Now that we're all here, let's set up the umbrellas," Ichigo suggested.

Chad, Renji and Ichigo made short work of setting up the chairs and umbrellas. There were two chairs for every umbrella, and I put my bag under the same umbrella as Rukia. Rangiku and Tatsuki claimed the umbrella to the right of us, and Ichigo and Renji the one to our left. Chad and Ishida settled beneath the umbrella to the left of the other boys, and Ishida immediately began to slather sunscreen on his pale skin.

Without waiting for the others to finish, Rangiku whipped off her beach dress and raced across the sand towards the sparkling waves. Tatsuki and I grinned at each other as we followed suit, tossing our coverings onto our towels. Rukia was left on her chair, applying a generous dose of sunscreen to her fair skin to avoid freckling. Renji and Ichigo weren't far behind us, their bare, muscular chests already glistening with sweat.

The water hit my legs with a mind-numbing shock as I splashed into the sea. "Coooooold!" I screeched as I immediately made a dash back for the shore. Renji and Ichigo laughed evilly as they extended their arms to block my path just as I ran between them. Catching me around the middle, they hoisted me up and tossed me back into the waves. With a splash, I plummeted into the water, submerging up to my neck. The freezing water pressed against my exposed flesh, sending pins and needles through me. My hair and face were soaked anyways from the splashing, so there was really no point in trying to stay dry anymore. I would warm up faster if I just kept moving in the water.

Spitting salt water from my mouth, I turned to face the two boys with an outraged face. They were cackling gleefully, along with Rangiku, who had come up behind me while I'd been floundering to stay above the water as much as possible. "You all are so dead," I exclaimed with a grin as I rose to my feet.

I warmed up as we chased each other through the waves, flinging water left and right and trying to dunk each other as many times as possible. Tatsuki got drawn in as well, as did Rukia and Chad once they entered the water. It was a free-for-all melee, with everyone laughing and shrieking with mirth. We may have pissed off a few random bystanders who got caught in the crossfire, but they couldn't really do anything once the boys leveled a threatening look at them.

"I think I win," Ichigo panted as we finally dragged ourselves from the water. I was out of breath from trying to maneuver in the waves and overpower the larger males. I could only imagine how poor Rukia must be feeling, since she was by far the smallest one among us. Looking over to her, I was surprised to see that she was glowing with vitality and grinning savagely at our orange-haired friend.

"Like hell you did," she retorted. "I was clearly the winner. I dunked you ten times, Ichigo! Ten! You only dunked me three times." A smug smile pulled at her lips as she marched out of the waves and onto dry ground.

"Yeah, Ichigo only dunked you three times because he sucks…" Renji began mischievously, "but I dunked you eight times. And since you only got me once, I think that means I'm actually the winner."

We all abruptly turned to look behind us, feeling the sudden deadly aura rising up at our backs. Tatsuki was glaring demonically at us all, her long black hair plastered all over her body and sticking straight up on top of her head where it was shortest. She looked positively lethal as she planted her fists on her hips and narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "You morons seem to have forgotten that I dunked _all of you_ a minimum of fifteen times! So I'm sorry, but I am the ultimate winner, and any argument is futile."

Ichigo and Renji pouted and stomped off to their umbrella, grumbling something about Tatsuki being a demon. Chad remained silent as he comfortably strode off to grab his towel, and Rangiku was too busy flirting with a random guy on the beach to pay any attention to the arguments for who was the ultimate winner.

Giggling, I linked arms with Tatsuki and matched her stride as we made our way towards our umbrellas further up the beach. "That's my oldest friend for you!" I cheered. "Way to go, girl. You showed those boys who's boss!"

Tatsuki laughed and grinned over at me. "Don't worry, Orihime, I'll share my title of victor with you."

"Is that pity I detect?" I exclaimed in mock indignation.

"Well, you did basically come in last place, Orihime…."

I wailed in despair, separating myself from Tatsuki to go pretend to cry into my towel.

"Ah, Orihime, don't cry," Ichigo said in a slightly panicked voice. It was comical to see him fretting so awkwardly over me, unsure of what to do.

Tatsuki smacked him upside the head. "Get yourself together, Ichigo. She's a master of manipulation—don't fall for her act."

Unable to contain my laughter at the sight of Ichigo's shocked face, I straightened and draped my towel around my shoulders. "You're hopeless when it comes to girls, Ichigo," I said in amusement.

He grinned in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess so."

"Hey, do you guys want to play Whack the Watermelon next?" Tatsuki asked, hefting one of the large green fruits in her hand. "There are a couple of hefty-looking branches right over there."

We all readily agreed, with the exception of Renji, who balked and tried to make some excuse for why he couldn't play right now. "Uh, I can't, guys…I've got…explosive diarrhea…."

Rukia slapped him on the arm and grabbed his ear. He winced in pain and twisted so that his ear was closer to her level. "Renji Abarai, you will not escape this time," she scolded ruthlessly. "I'll protect you if anything happens, so man up and get your big boy pants on!"

We all shared a laugh at his expense, but he seemed to accept his fate with relatively little grumbling after that. When Rangiku saw that we were busting the watermelons out, she sidled over to us. "Ehh, it's already that time?"

Chad handed her a branch, and Tatsuki produced a blindfold. "You can have the first honor, since you came up with the idea."

Rangiku seemed eager enough, so Tatsuki put the blindfold on her and guided her a ways away from our little camp, so as not to get watermelon goop on our things. The voluptuous blonde readjusted her grip on the branch as Ichigo placed a watermelon on the ground in front of her.

"Okay, go!"

At Tatsuki's signal, Rangiku took her branch and started whaling on the poor melon. Red juice flew everywhere as she went to town, whacking with all her might.

As a chunk of melon landed on my cheek, I blinked at her with an amused look. "Try not to decapitate anyone in the process, Rangiku." Just to spite me, she turned and stuck her tongue out at me before sending another spray of juice in my direction. Rukia and I squealed as we were squirted again, jumping back in an attempt to avoid the worst of it.

Before long, there was nothing left of the melon but broken pieces scattered across a twenty-foot radius. "Well. I think that was a success," she commented gleefully as she pulled off the blindfold. "Who wants to go next?"

Ichigo succeeded her, Chad fetching him a fresh branch because Rangiku's was too soggy and mangled to be of much good anymore. Renji did the honors of tying the blindfold around Ichigo's eyes, and then the orange-haired youth set to work whacking the new watermelon with considerably more control than Rangiku. Juice still flew everywhere, but at least chunks weren't raining down twenty feet away from him.

Rangiku skipped off to her beach bag and rummaged through it, tossing various items onto the sand beside her chair. Uryuu looked up from his own chair, where he was reclining with a book. As Rangiku finally found what she was looking for, Uryuu gave her an incredulous look mixed with horror.

"You can't be serious," he exclaimed with narrowed eyes. "This is a public beach. You know nothing good happens when you get drinking, Rangiku."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Drinking? Sure enough, when Rangiku waved a hand at him dismissively and turned around to saunter mischievously back to us, I saw a bottle of sake clutched in her hand.

"I think I have just the way to spice things up a little," she sang with a wink as she approached us.

Ichigo turned to her and raised the blindfold over one of his eyes so he could peek out at her. His single visible eye widened in disbelief. "What are you doing, Rangiku? You're a monster when you're drunk! Not that that's really any different than usual, but…."

Rangiku silenced him by tipping the sake bottle up at his lips, allowing a few drops to splash out into his mouth. Ichigo gagged and staggered backwards, ripping the blindfold the rest of the way off. "Rangiku!" he roared, spitting the residual alcohol out. "You fiend!"

Our party-loving friend danced off out of his reach, tossing the sake bottle to Renji. The redhead laughed and tipped it back to take a swig. When Ichigo changed course to try to take it from him, Renji passed the sake to Rukia. She looked down at it in surprise for a moment, before a wide smile spread across her face and her eyes sparkled with laughter. I stared at her incredulously, knowing what she was about to do. With a wink at my stunned face, Rukia took a gulp of the alcohol and passed it on to Chad with a giddy laugh.

"Not you too, Rukia!" Ichigo wailed in disbelief. He followed the sake from Rukia to Chad, and then to Tatsuki, all of whom took a turn drinking from the bottle.

I looked at the bottle with dread, wondering if Tatsuki was going to pass it to me next. Our eyes met, and she gave me a knowing smile. "Heads up, Rangiku!" she called, tossing the bottle to our blonde friend. I returned her smile gratefully, giving her a slight nod. She knew I didn't drink, and I had no intention of changing that now.

At last finding a sane person, Ichigo jogged over to me with a pleading look. "Orihime, help me get that bottle away from them before they get drunk enough to blow up the beach!" he begged.

I laughed and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "Sure thing, Kurosaki-kun!" We tag-teamed to try to catch the bottle as it was being passed, with little success. Uryuu looked on disapprovingly, but didn't make any move to join in our attempts to wrest the sake away from the others.

After several minutes of chasing them across the sand, I finally managed to catch Rangiku as she downed a mouthful of sake. "Gotcha!" I shouted as I dove and tackled her to the ground. The sake sloshed all over her chest, soaking into her white bikini top.

She looked up at me with a sloppy smile on her face. "Aww, you spilled it, Orihime!" she giggled. "Good thing I brought backups!"

Laughing, I rolled off of her and helped her to her feet. "You're hopeless, Rangiku." Turning to Ichigo over my shoulder, I called, "Make sure she can't get to her beach bag! I'm going to go get some water from the ice shack so that these imbeciles don't die of alcohol poisoning."

Ichigo nodded and came over to guard Rangiku, giving me a high five as we passed. I grinned as I made my way over to the ice shack further down the beach. My friends were sometimes a little crazy, but they were good crazies. There wasn't a single thing about them that I would change.

Still chuckling to myself, I stepped into the cool shack and let my eyes adjust to the sudden shadows. "Excuse me, I need some water—"

"Sorry, you're going to have to help yourself," the staff member said in a rush as she brushed past me. "I've got to get this ice over to a kid who knocked his head on a rock." Without so much as a glance at me, she was gone as she hurried off in the opposite direction of my friends.

I glanced after her for a moment, hoping the kid would be okay. Then I made my way further into the small building and looked around. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was able to make out a sink behind the counter at the back of the shack. An empty water cooler sat on the floor by the sink, the perfect vessel for the water. I started towards it but was stopped by a voice from behind me before I even reached the counter.

"Orihime…Inoue?"

I froze in my tracks and turned slowly to face the only person whose very voice sent shivers up my spine. Sure enough, there he was, standing in the doorway with a shocked expression on his porcelain face. Ulquiorra Cifer.

"Ulquiorra," I exclaimed in surprise. For a moment, all we could do was stand there and stare at each other in disbelief. Finally breaking the painful silence, I asked, "What are you doing here?"

He looked confused for a moment, before his usual emotionless mask fell into place. "I'm here for…business. I did not think you would be at _this _beach," he offered by way of explanation for my unspoken question.

"Well, here I am," I said wryly, holding my arms out in an embracing gesture.

Ulquiorra's eyes traveled along my body, and I was suddenly self-conscious about being dressed only in my skimpy bikini. The blue material seemed suddenly to be made of nothing but air, and I resisted the urge to cross my arms over my chest. Without warning, Ulquiorra's brows drew together in a frown and he strode towards me with a cloudy look in his eyes. I almost gasped, resisting the urge to back up. What was he doing…?

"Are you okay?" he asked intensely.

"What do you mean?" I asked in concern. His sudden intensity was making me anxious.

"Are you injured?"

My eyes widened at his question. I looked down at myself frantically, wondering if I had somehow managed to cut myself while chasing my friends across the beach. All I saw was the watermelon debris clinging to my skin…. Oh.

"Oh, this?" I asked, swiping a chunk of fruit off my arm and holding it up for him to see. "This is watermelon."

His frown changed from worried to confused. "Watermelon?" he asked in disbelief. As if without realizing what he was doing, he reached up and ran his fingers along my collarbone, catching a droplet of watermelon juice. He brought it to his lips and flicked his tongue out along his fingers, licking up the juice. His eyebrows rose in slight surprise and relief as he confirmed that it was just watermelon. Then he realized what he had just done and took a step back, shuttering his face one again. "I see," he said simply, not meeting my gaze.

My cheeks were on fire. Not even the dim lighting in the shack would conceal the blush on my face, so I was grateful that Ulquiorra wasn't looking at me anymore. _What…what was that?_ I thought shakily. My skin was tingling where he had brushed his fingers across it, and my heart was beating so rapidly I thought for sure I was having a stroke. I couldn't shake the image of Ulquiorra licking his fingers from my mind, and I was having difficulty getting over the sound of his voice when he'd asked if I was okay. Had that been…genuine concern for me?

Before I had a chance to say anything to clear the air between us, I heard someone approaching from outside. "Oye, Cifer, are you done yet? I'm sweating my balls off out here."

Ulquiorra stiffened the moment he heard the voice. Without pausing to think, he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me behind the counter with him, pulling the both of us down to the ground.

In that moment that seemed to span a lifetime, I was only aware of three things: 1) I was hiding behind a counter in the dark with Ulquiorra, 2) I was currently straddling his lap with our bodies flush against each other, and 3) his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist so that our faces were less than an inch apart.

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**A/N: **Well, that escalated quickly. XD I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! ;D I've certainly enjoyed coming up with this little scenario. ^.^ Feel free to leave a review to let me know your thoughts! Favoriting and following is also much appreciated. ;)


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